Victor couple launches local microbrewery, VB Brewery

Sunday

Jan 26, 2014 at 9:05 AM

By Melody Burri melody@messengerpostmedia.com

VICTOR — Tom and Catherine Bullinger are living the dream. After spending the last three decades as a self-proclaimed computer science geek, Tom retired in August and immediately leveraged his love for home brewing into a second career. Catherine will also retire at the end of this month, and plans to spend her next chapter working alongside her husband at their joint venture — the VB Brewery.The new facility sits on six acres just outside the village of Victor, adjacent to Auto Direct. The couple started renovations in July 2013 on the existing 1,350-square-foot commercial storefront at 6606 Route 96.After six months of remodeling, the brewery doors are finally open, starting with a “soft opening” on Jan. 16, and a grand opening set for March 1 to 2. The facility now features a red oak and black walnut tasting area, a showroom and two brewing systems, much of which was designed and built by Tom.Since the Bullingers established the microbrewery to celebrate hand-crafted beer, they plan to hold monthly beer appreciation nights with instruction and demonstrations, and monthly community brew nights for home brewers — the first of which is Jan. 28.“A lot of people are beer nerds, and we set up the community brew night so about 10 to 12 home brewers can come in at a time, and bring their own beer for everyone to sample and critique and suggest improvements,” said owner Tom Bullinger.Whether people bring their home brews, or an unusual commercial beer straight off the shelf, the fun part is the variety, Bullinger said. And the discussion that follows covers everything from hop varieties and mash temperatures, to types and blends grain.“It’s a tasting, and a place for problem solving,” Bullinger said. “It’s a great place to seek advice.”On Tuesday, guest brewer Keith Silliman of Fairport will also brew up a batch of his Belgian Dubbel on VB Brewery equipment, Bullinger said. He and Silliman will get the process started before guests arrive, and then put it on tap at the end of the night.In addition to community brew events, the new brewery will offer private tours and tastings, private parties, brewing classes, beer appreciation night, and bus tours by reservation. Why so many options?“Beer is an interesting topic,” Bullinger said. “The many people we talk to on the subject have differing interests, and complementary needs."Thanks to a new state licensing option added a year ago, the VB Brewery obtained a Farm Brewers License, designed to promote products grown and manufactured in New York, especially farm-related products.“By using a portion of New York products in the creation of our beer, we earn the right to expand our offerings,” said Bullinger. “With a Farm Brewers license, we can sell pints for on-premise consumption, sell packaged food, and many other New York farm products. We're just starting to explore the potential of this license.”The two hope to use primarily locally sourced ingredients from Bluebell Hopyard in Farmington.The brewery is not a bar, Bullinger said. It is, first and foremost, a brewery where customers can sample and enjoy its products in that context. Eventually VB Brewery beers will be on tap at local bars and restaurants.The brewery will keep 12 beers on tap, with tasting to include six samples of 2 to 3 ounces each, as well as pints.Flights, pints, growlers and various keg sizes will also be offered at the facility, Bullinger said.Recently Tom Bullinger took time to answer some questions about his new venture.Q —Why a brewery, and why now?A — “I've been a home brewer for almost 30 years — making beer has been part of our family for a long time. Last fall, I attended a two-week intensive certification program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where I earned a master brewers certificate. I really enjoy brewing, and sharing my knowledge with others. Cath really enjoys interacting with the public. After spending a good portion of our lives in corporate America, we look forward to jobs we enjoy!”Q —Why did you choose Victor as a location for the brewery?A —“We've been living in this area for many years. Victor is a strong community, and it continues to grow. We've enjoyed getting to know more and more people in Victor, and we're proud to part of Victor's growth story."Q —What inspired you to take the leap and launch a brewery?A —“I've owned and operated a number of small businesses over the years, mostly as a consultant in the software development industry. I really enjoy working for myself, and like the challenge of managing the ‘big picture.’ I was also able to design and build most aspects of the brewery. The brewing system is custom designed and built, and controlled by a pair of computers running custom software. I also built the cooler for keeping our beer cold. Coupled with the paperwork and red-tape required for any venture in an alcohol-related business, the challenge is sufficient for a restless mind like mine.”Q —What do you love most about brewing beer?A —“The unexpected results are the interesting part! As an engineer, I'd like to think I control the process and can create beer that fits a flavor profile in my head. Sometimes this is the case, but often the interaction of the various components yields a surprise or two.”Q —What's one thing about brewing beer that people would be surprised to learn?A —“Beer comes in a huge variety of flavors. By comparison, wine is made from grapes and yeast, and mother nature takes care of much of the work of determining flavor (at least per grape variety.) Beer has more components — malt, hops, yeast, water, and other adjuncts — that allows the brewer to work with different combinations and permutations."Q —If you could have only one kind of beer for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?A —“If I had to pick one for being stranded on a desert island, it would have to be ‘Chimay Grande Reserve’ (blue label). Belgian beer is the most interesting, due to its complexity and subtlety. Belgian beers require a great deal of skill from the brew master to accomplish the perfect balance required of the malt, hops and yeast."Q — In what way is your new career completely unlike your old one?A — “Let's just say that the personalities in the brewing business are a lot more fun at parties.”

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